Is an ear important or just for Instagram?

Achieving a crisp shark fin ear feels like a sourdough baker’s badge of honor. But it goes way beyond aesthetics — it’s an indication that you’ve gotten several key steps just right: fermentation, gluten development, shaping, and of course, scoring. Understanding why scoring matters can dramatically improve your loaves.

At its core, scoring is about controlling expansion. When your dough hits the hot oven, it will begin to expand. Without a deliberate scoring pattern, the trapped gas inside the loaf will find its own way out — often bursting unpredictably through the surface at the weakest points. By slicing the dough strategically, you give it permission to expand upward and outward where you decide, resulting in a more attractive loaf with an even crumb. Scoring encourages good oven spring — the dramatic rise that occurs in the first 10-15 minutes of baking.

A sprightly ear means you’ve done a great job developing the gluten strength in the dough: a strong gluten web will expand elastically without snapping, trapping the gasses created by the wild yeast and bacteria to achieve an open, airy crumb. A good ear means you’ve nailed the bulk fermentation, too. An under or over-fermented dough won’t achieve the optimal oven spring. Finally, the ear is an indicator that you managed a nice taut shaping of your dough. Even if your dough is properly proofed, if you haven’t created enough tension in the surface through good shaping, the gases won’t have anything to push against. Your sourdough will spread sideways instead of upwards. 

Now, if you’re someone who really hates biting into a super-crispy wedge of an ear (you know, the kind of sharp ear that could literally tear a hole in the roof of your mouth!), then you’ll want to keep your scoring shallow. I find that a lot of students think they’ll get a better ear if they score their loaves twice, cutting along the same line a second time. The truth is: a deeper cut won’t make up for bad oven spring. If you’ve prepared your dough correctly, a double-score will result in a chunky shark fin that will likely bite back! 

If you prefer a daintier ear, I recommend a straight score. Instead of angling your lame, hold the blade perpendicular to the loaf and slice straight across the top. This will cause a beautiful splaying-open, the belly will push upward, and you’ll get two short yet distinct ridges that are kinder on the palate.